‘Out with the old and in with the new’ — Phrase of the Week

Our phrase of the week is: Out with the old and in with the new (辞旧迎新 cíjiù yíngxīn).

Context

Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 delivered his annual televised speech to mark the New Year on the evening of December 31. This is the first time he has made comments publicly since China’s COVID-zero policy was abruptly dropped three weeks ago.

The speech contrasts “China today” (今天的中国 jīntiān de zhōngguó) with “China tomorrow” (明天的中国 míngtiān de zhōngguó). China today, according to Xi, is a place where dreams are brought into reality (Winter Olympics, space exploration), a place of great potential and opportunity (free-trade zones, economic development), and a country that also faces huge challenges (drought, floods, “security incidents”). China tomorrow will continue to create miracles, but can only do so through unity, and with the help of its younger generation. He also hinted at the driving forces behind the recent anti-lockdown protests in China:

Because China is so big, different people will have different demands and different views on the same thing. This is normal. We need to build a consensus through dialogue and consultation.

中国这么大，不同人会有不同诉求，对同一件事也会有不同看法，这很正常，要通过沟通协商凝聚共识。

Zhōngguó zhème dà, bùtóng rén huì yǒu bùtóng sùqiú, duì tóngyí jiàn shì yě huì yǒu bùtóng kànfǎ, zhè hěn zhèngcháng, yào tōngguò gōutōng xiéshāng níngjù gòngshì.

Xi used idioms and historical references throughout his speech, including our four-character phrase for this week:

Whenever we say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, we always think of the awe-inspiring spirit inherited by the Chinese nation with a history of thousands of years, which brings us greater confidence to move forward.

每当辞旧迎新，总会念及中华民族千年传承的浩然之气，倍增前行信心。

Měi dāng cíjiù yíngxīn, zǒng huì niàn jí zhōnghuá mínzú qiānnián chuánchéng de hàoránzhīqì, bèizēng qián háng xìnxīn.

Translation

Say goodbye to the old and welcome the new is a colloquial phrase that is similar to the English phrase Out with the old, in with the new.

This phrase is typically used around the Spring Festival, which marks the Chinese New Year. But in modern times, it’s common to use it to mark the New Year in the Gregorian calendar, too.

It’s inspired by a poem by Wáng Ānshí 王安石, “The New Year.”

The New Year

Amid the din of crackers the old year is over,
The winds of spring bring warmth to the houses of the people.
To every home the sun imparts its brighter rays,
Old peach wood charms against evil are replaced by new ones.

元旦

爆竹声中一岁除，
春风送暖入屠苏。
千门万户瞳瞳日，
总把新桃换旧符。

Yuándàn

Bàozhú shēng zhōng yí suì chú,
Chūnfēng sòng nuǎn rù túsū.
Qiān mén wàn hù tóng tóng rì,
Zǒng bǎ xīn táo huàn jiù fú.

Wang Anshi was a philosopher and politician, as well as a poet, during the Song dynasty (960–1279).

He was a reformer, serving as chancellor under Emperor Shenzong (宋神宗 Sòng Shénzōng), who was attempting to impose controversial socioeconomic reforms. Wang opposed conservatives in the government at the time, clashing with the incumbent conservative faction.

As Wang’s controversial policies were implemented, one of the prominent victims of the political rivalry was the famous poet and statesman Sū Shì 苏轼 (1037–1101), who was jailed and eventually exiled for criticizing Wang’s reforms.

Su Shi is also featured in Xi’s New Year speech, which evoked a single line from Su about overcoming challenges at a critical time:

Look to tackle the toughest problem, and achieve the greatest goal.

犯其至难而图其至远。

Fàn qí zhì nán ér tú qí zhì yuǎn.

Wang Anshi also eventually fell out of favor, and his reforms were abolished. But his poems, including “The New Year,” have lived on, as have those of Su Shi.

Both Su Shi and Wang Anshi, from opposite ends of the political spectrum a millenia ago, would probably be surprised to find their words inhabiting the same speech by China’s leader nearly 1,000 years later.